The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 239 I was just bragging, why did you take it so seriously?

Just as Emperor Qianxi was pondering this, Shen Ye arrived.

Although Shen Ye did not hold a high position in his previous life, there was one thing he was very clear about: frequently seeking instructions and reporting frequently was absolutely essential.

The reason he arrived a little late was quite simple: after returning to the Court of Colonial Affairs, he gave some instructions to Jin Wushan and others.

Then, back at Yuqing Palace, Shen Ye organized what he had prepared to report to Emperor Qianxi before leisurely arriving at Qianqing Palace.

Liang Jiugong, the chief eunuch of Qianqing Palace, has always been friendly to Shen Ye. To be honest, if Shen Ye hadn't tried so hard to win him over, Liang Jiugong might have already gotten on Shen Ye's side.

With Liang Jiugong's notification, Shen Ye soon met with Emperor Qianxi.

However, Emperor Qianxi's expression was not very good at this moment.

As soon as he saw Shen Ye walk in, he said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your Highness, I heard you were quite impressive today!"

Shen Ye was not afraid at all in the face of his sharp-tongued father's teasing.

He smiled and said, "When I went to deal with this matter, I was suppressing my anger."

"But these envoys from the Rakshasa Kingdom are being incredibly shameless and have gone too far!"

"They actually dared to kill someone on the spot in the post station. If we don't teach them a lesson, then the dignity of our great dynasty will be lost."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi's expression softened considerably.

The court lost face, which, to put it bluntly, meant that Emperor Qianxi lost face.

The inn was not only occupied by people from the Rakshasa Kingdom, but also by envoys from many surrounding countries.

If the Russian envoy's entourage killed the guards and the imperial court didn't dare to utter a word, then Emperor Qianxi would lose face internationally.

Those people might not dare to say anything to your face, but behind your back they will definitely gossip and criticize.

Emperor Qianxi, who was somewhat relieved that the Crown Prince had forcibly dealt with the matter, still retorted, "Even if you handled it well, let me ask you, what do you plan to do next?"

"The Rakshasa Kingdom came here with ill intentions from the start, and now that people have died, they will be even less likely to let this go."

"Could it be that you're really planning to start a war?"

Shen Ye glanced at Emperor Qianxi and said, "Father, I think that we might not necessarily lose in this kind of war."

Emperor Qianxi had fought many battles, so he was naturally very knowledgeable about warfare.

He said in his usual sarcastic tone, "That's right, wars are always a 50/50 affair, and we're not necessarily going to lose."

No matter how you look at it, those words conveyed a sense of displeasure.

Shen Ye seemed completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Emperor Qianxi's words. He chuckled and said, "Father, I think our chances of winning are quite good."

"There is even a possibility of achieving more victories."

As he spoke, Shen Ye took out a stack of papers and said, "Father, I have recently done some analysis and sent people to get a lot of information from those Westerners."

"Your Majesty, I believe that although the Rakshasa Kingdom may seem glorious, in reality, they have always been in a situation where they are surrounded by enemies."

"I even feel that their arrival this time is somewhat of a bluff."

"So I've been thinking of devising a plan to see if we can find out their secrets, and hopefully we can also gain some advantage."

Look here!

As he spoke, Shen Ye slowly unfolded the diagram in his hand!

Emperor Qianxi also had maps given to him by Westerners.

Therefore, he wasn't too surprised when he saw the map of the Crown Prince.

However, when he saw the territory of the Rakshasa Kingdom clearly, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

The Rakshasa Kingdom is actually larger than his territory!
This made him feel very uncomfortable.

“Father, before that, the Rakshasa Kingdom was just a small vassal state of the Golden Horde. It only rose to prominence in the last hundred years.”

"Its territory appears large, but in reality, it is sparsely populated."

“In some places, there are hardly any people for hundreds of miles.”

"So I thought, why don't we send a memorial to the emperor, saying that since we want to solve the hidden dangers in the north, we should first deal with the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

“Once we take down the Rakshasa Kingdom, this entire region will be ours.”

"The border troubles in the north will no longer exist."

As Emperor Qianxi looked at the spot Shen Ye was pointing to, a feeling arose in his heart that he might be getting old.

Although the Crown Prince's plan was fake, I have to admit that he really dared to think that way!
He not only wants to expand his territory, but he wants to expand such a large area.

"Your idea is not bad, but how can the envoy from the Rakshasa Kingdom believe that your plan is real?"

Emperor Qianxi said, "A war to destroy a country is not so easy to fight."

"They probably don't believe we can destroy him."

“Father, we can’t do it on our own. Look at these two places.”

Shen Ye pointed towards the Anning Empire and said, "The Anning Empire and the Rakshasa Kingdom are sworn enemies. I heard that last year they wiped out 50,000 Rakshasa Kingdom expeditionary troops."

"Now they want to reclaim the land invaded by the Russian Kingdom, and this year we should start a war against the Russian Kingdom."

"And here is the Ottoman Empire, a country no smaller than ours."

"It is also a mortal enemy of the Rakshasa Kingdom, because the Rakshasa Kingdom has also occupied a lot of their land."

"They also hate the warlike Rakshasa Kingdom to the bone."

"If we say that we are preparing to form an anti-Russian alliance and invite the Anning Empire and the Ottoman Empire to join."

"With a three-pronged attack, even if we cannot destroy the Rakshasa Kingdom, we can take the opportunity to reclaim this northern region."

“In this way, the envoy from the Rakshasa Kingdom will definitely fear this alliance and be wary of our plan.” Emperor Qianxi was excited as he listened to Shen Ye’s plan.

If only one side attacks the Rakshasa Kingdom, it will be a bitter battle if it's a one-on-one fight.

However, if the three parties unite and advance from all directions, the Rakshasa Kingdom, besieged on all sides, will surely fall into a predicament.

However, there are still problems. The Ottoman Empire and the Anning Empire are too far apart, making it difficult to connect them.

It's difficult to make an agreement if all three parties advance at the same time!

But these are all details, and not insurmountable. Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and then asked, "What about military expenses?"

"Even if we win, what about the military budget?"

"If the imperial court wants to mobilize an army of 100,000, it must prepare at least 10 million taels of silver for military expenses."

What should be done with these military funds?

Emperor Qianxi asked with unusual seriousness; for him, money was the biggest obstacle preventing him from taking the next step.

Looking at the Qianxi Emperor with a headache, Shen Ye thought to himself, "This is just a feint; why are you asking such detailed questions?"

However, facing the serious-looking Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye finally tentatively said, "Father, I think we can sell the land."

Upon hearing the words "selling land," Emperor Qianxi nearly had his nose crooked.

His imperial estates total one million mu; if sold, ten million taels of silver for military expenses would be no problem at all.

But these imperial estates were his private treasury, his foundation.

What would happen if an emperor didn't have any money readily available?
The emperors of the previous dynasty set a precedent.

If that emperor hadn't been so poor that he didn't even have the money to reward his troops, why would he have ended up hanging on Coal Hill?
"Sell the land? You're dreaming! That land isn't yours yet. Wait until I'm dead before you talk about selling it!"

Emperor Qianxi spoke these words very bluntly, as if he were disappointed in his son.

Shen Ye looked at the angry Emperor Qianxi and said with a smile, "Father, when I say sell land, I don't mean sell our existing land, but sell a large area of ​​land in the Russian Kingdom to the north."

Shen Ye said, "Although it is a bit cold there, it is not impossible to live there."

"Moreover, there are many large trees there, which can be sold for a lot of money if transported out."

At this point, Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "I estimate that the land over there is at least tens of millions of hectares."

“I think there will definitely be people scrambling to buy our land, which costs two taels of silver per hectare.”

Emperor Qianxi was stunned.

Two taels of silver for an acre of land? Are you crazy? When did land become so worthless!
Do you know what you are talking about?

Do you know what you're doing?

You're such a spendthrift!
But... but those lands don't seem to belong to me yet!

Thinking that the land still belonged to others, Emperor Qianxi felt a little embarrassed and cleared his throat, saying, "But the land hasn't been acquired yet, can it really be sold?"

"Of course we can, aren't we preparing for a fight?"

"What's more, now an acre of land is worth at least seven or eight taels of silver, while this acre is only worth two taels of silver. You can't find that kind of land even with a lantern!"

"Although it's a bit cold over there, it's still land!"

Listening to Shen Ye's confident analysis and considering the huge profit potential involved, Emperor Qianxi felt a little wavering.

If one were an ordinary landlord, two taels of silver, though it would be an expense for ten or fifteen days, would definitely be worthwhile to buy land.

That's an entire hectare!
If I had a thousand taels of silver, I would buy at least several hundred acres of it!

Five hundred taels of silver equals a large tract of land; who could resist such a temptation?
"What if we sell the land but ultimately fail to conquer it?" Emperor Qianxi asked the most crucial question.

Although the Anti-Rakshasa Alliance is very powerful, and the chances of losing are not high.

But in war, there are always winners and losers; you can't guarantee a sure win from the very beginning.

If we can't conquer the territory we desire, how will we explain it to the buyers?

"Father, why is this land being sold so cheaply? It's because it hasn't been conquered yet!"

Shen Ye spread his hands and said, "If we take it and then sell it, not only will you be reluctant to pay this price, but I myself will be reluctant to do so!"

"If you can't take it down, then you've failed."

"The person who bought the land has no choice but to accept the consequences of their gamble."

"If they take it, they'll profit!"

"After all, these lands inherently involve a gambling element. If you win the gamble, you'll make a fortune and everyone will be happy; if you lose, everyone will suffer a loss."

Shen Ye spread his hands and said, "There's no such thing as a business with only benefits and no risks in this world!"

"Besides, this is just a plan. As long as it can be explained in a way that makes sense and convinces the Rakshasa envoy, that's enough."

Looking at Shen Ye, who seemed to be asking why he was so serious, Emperor Qianxi had to admit that he had genuinely studied the plan.

After a moment's hesitation, he immediately said, "You should go back first. I'll think about this matter carefully."

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Shen Ye prepared to take his leave. However, after taking a few steps, he heard Emperor Qianxi say, "If this matter can be accomplished, it would be a good choice."

"By the way, be on time for the court hearing at Qianqing Gate tomorrow."

"We'll discuss it then and see if this is feasible."

Seeing the serious-looking Emperor Qianxi, who was clearly seriously considering this boasting plan, Shen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

I was just trying to bluff Viscount Nicholas, but you've taken it so seriously!

　It's inconvenient to write while traveling. It's mid-month, and I dare not stop updating. I would appreciate it if you could all give me some votes to support and encourage me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)